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Stuart Freeborn, a pioneering movie makeup artist behind creatures such as Chewbacca and Yoda in the "Star Wars" films, died Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. He was 98.

LucasFilm said Freeborn left "a legacy of unforgettable contributions."

By CBSNews.com senior editor David Morgan

Credit: Lucasfilm

Born in London in 1914, Freeborn was the son of a Lloyds of London insurance broker. He told a BBC documentary in 2012 that he resisted pressure to follow in his father's footsteps, because "I felt I was different."

He began his film career in the 1930s, working for director Alexander Korda, and honing his makeup skills on stars including Marlene Dietrich and Vivien Leigh.

Left: "The Thief of Baghdad" (1940), starring Rex Ingram and Sabu.

Credit: London Films

After serving in the air force during World War II, he worked on several British movie classics, including "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," and David Lean's "Oliver Twist" (1948), starring Alec Guinness as Fagin (left).

Freeborn's transformation of Guinness into Fagin -- complete with a large hooked nose -- was criticized by some as anti-Semitic, a matter of regret for Freeborn (who said he was partly Jewish).

Credit: Rank

Lt. Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is released from "the oven" in the Japanese P.O.W. camp, in David Lean's World War II drama, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957). Makeup by Stuart Freeborn.

Credit: Columbia Pictures

Freeborn frequently worked with actor Peter Sellers, who transformed himself into several characters in his films. In the 1959 Cold War satire "The Mouse That Roared," one of Sellers' roles was the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick.

Credit: Columbia PIctures

Peter Selelrs as President Merkin Muffley in Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964). Makeup by Stuart Freeborn.

While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences gave the makeup artist of "Planet of the Apes" a special Oscar (there was no category for makeup in the awards ceremony at that time), screenwriter Arthur C. Clarke suggested that the Academy may have slighted Freeborn because they believed the apes in "2001" were real.

Nick Maley, a makeup artist who worked with Freeborn in the 1970s, called him a mentor who "ran his department like a headmaster."

"It was my years working with him that helped me learn how to think, how to solve problems, how to not take the most obvious path," Maley told the Associated Press. "Everybody will remember him for 'Star Wars,' but he did so much more than that. No one should overlook the groundbreaking work he did on '2001: A Space Odyssey.' That was really the forerunner of 'Star Wars' and used a lot of the same technology."

Director George Lucas said that Freeborn was "already a makeup legend" when he started working on "Star Wars."

"He brought with him not only decades of experience, but boundless creative energy," Lucas said. "His artistry and craftsmanship will live on forever in the characters he created."

Left: Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, with Harrison Ford as Han Solo.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Makeup artist Stuart Freeborn, who designed the Wookie Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew) for the "Star Wars" films.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Stuart Freeborn also designed the puppet-character Yoda for the "Star Wars" sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980).

Credit: Lucasfilm

The Yoda puppet poses with makeup designer Stuart Freeborn. The elfin Jedi master's looks were said to be partly inspired by Albert Einstein -- and partly, according to "Empire Strikes Back" director Irvin Kershner (far right), on the artist himself, noting that Yoda's inquisitive and mischievous features had more than a passing resemblance to Freeborn.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker with Yoda in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980).

Credit: Lucasfilm

Stuart Freeborn designed the arch criminal Jabba the Hutt from the conclusion of the original "Star Wars" trilogy, "Return of the Jedi" (1983).

Credit: Lucasfilm

A scene inside the lair of Jabba the Hutt in "Return of the Jedi." Makeup by Stuart Freeborn.

Credit: Lucasfilm

An Ewok from "Return of the Jedi," one of many "Star Wars" characters designed by makeup artist Stuart Freeborn.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and Nien Nunb attack the Death Star in "Return of the Jedi" (1983). Makeup by Stuart Freeborn.

Credit: Lucasfilm

Admiral Ackbar (right), a rebel commander in "Return of the Jedi" (1983), designed by makeup artist Stuart Freeborn.